Feral Druid Pvp Tips!
Changes that left Feral Kitty's Looking like this.
Shape-shifter 101
If you're one of those Pvp (player vs player) fanatics like me or just starting out and still learning the ropes, Everything depends on how well you understand your class especially the feral druid. You can play any other spec say the Moonkin form and pelt out insane amounts of damage, but the spec still has its disadvantages & range is everything. Restoration Druids take ages to die, but after a while it gets tedious and very monotonous healing and feeling helpless when you can't kill other players. This is where the feral spec comes in & it has some very very cool advantages & hardly any drawbacks. Almost every class finds it hard to come toe to toe with a feral druid and survive the madness or the plain frustration output you can unleash on other pvp-ers.
How should i spec?
With countless experimentation and formula documentation and revamping of statistics, Only a few good spec's actually work regardless of gear. I have tried and tested. I can also say that i wish my Fraps was working for a couple of videos where i did come up against a season 10.5 Arena geared druid while i was still sitting around in season 9, i started the season late and Farming gear waiting for my partner around. I found the outcome to be hilarious as the Enemy feral druid just could'nt for some reason kill me in bear form, while my bear owned and thus resulting in a victory.
Here is a good Pvp Talent spec i use as well as some other good feral druids i know in-game. Remember to always keep up-to date with what they're talking about in www.arenajunkies.com It is a valuable resource and players there are very helpful and always have good advice, tips and tricks. At first glance the spec might seem odd or points spent in certain areas may look pointless. The spec guarantees your main strengths with survivability in bear form without sacrificing DPS (damage per second) in cat form. Regardless if you're an arena player of you like to jump into the battlegrounds. Another good site to get tons of information on pvping as your class would be http://www.skill-capped.com/, Although it requires you pay for membership, nevertheless, it has very good info that can really boost your pvp skills! check some of their demo videos on the site or on yourtube.
Getting A Edge
In cat form, opening the fight can be as important as surviving it. If you come across Rogues, wait for them to come out so you can open up on them. If you're good with key-binding and macros. CC's (Crowd Control) should be a joke and reflex and timing should come naturally as thinking. Mages at the moment should be your only challenge, since recent patches deem that mages should have their fun for a while, its still not impossible to kill one, They can keep you in place all day and kite you till the end of time. Try stalling instead of chasing, you can outsurvive them with your mobility skills, Dash And Stampeding roar helps a lot. Keep skull bash up. learn to shapeshift using CC's such as roots, Natures's grasp, Cyclone, Bash, Maim Etc.
When you start a fight in cat form, you should be in stealth, Open up with a feral charge & your next move should be Pounce, with the target stunned, your next move should be ravage that you gained free because your feral charged. (faerie fire optional, Depending since it gets dispelled frequently) Most players i see then choose their next moves and happen to mangle spam & even glyph it as such. The only players that mangle spam are those that have no clue how to dish out damage & or the ones that have latency issues getting behind targets to Shred. Although it isn't a bad thing now to Use mangle and spam it Because of the recent buff. Shred still does a ton of damage output although the cost is more. What you're looking for is a quick first round of 5 combo point application on your current target. With those 5 points you will get a Rip on the opposing player. your next advisable step would be to Cyclone any other players that are assisting your Target or Use your predatory strikes that pops up for an instant big heal such as Healing touch and get back into cat form. Preferably you use (Gladius to right-click cyclone a target in arena) Your second round of 5 point combo generation should be faster giving you a killing blow or finishing of a target very fast. To do this, Hopefully you have beserk and Tigers fury Macro'd & binded under 1 key. Tiger's fury will replenish your energy bar, while Beserk reduces the energy cost of your abilities. It is possible to generate 5combo points and enough energy to get another 2 up in the 3 round.
After your first round of 5 combo points you unleashed a rip, Your second round of 5 combo points to generate you will use mangle. SPAM IT to get those 5 points up & then use MAIM. it is obvious that when a player is dying they go all frantic and try to LOS (line of sight) you or get some heals up or run away. A 5 point maim on him & they arent going anywhere or wont be able to do anything. Most Enemy players die in this & have no clue how it happened so fast. I talk more about keybindings and macros in another page. That will really hone your skills and make you lightning fast. (Tip- Only use Skull bash in Cat form, Since it is improved Skull bash. Also use this move when you need to catch up to a player who seems to be kiting or Line of sight from you, very helpful.)
Surviving Against All Odds
Should at any given circumstance you are outnumbered or simply dying faster than your target. Switch to bear & instantly hit Enrage to generate your Rage, after this hit Frenzied regeneration to convert your rage into health. This also gives you a bonus to HP (health points). Savage defense which is passive absorbs so much of damage its laughable Savage defense is also increased on how much mastery you have which should be your secondary statistic after Agility being your primary statistic. This is where you should save barkskin where it reduces damage by another superb amount. In total you can absorb up to 60-75% damage taken for quite a while. Keep lacerate up, Because the more this ticks on a target the more instant mangle procs you will get which hit really hard with a Feral druid that's gone crazy with stacking agility. Of course you can use Bash And Maul in between when it comes off cooldown. It may be a slow process but you just wont DIE!. i've heard players scream this and seen the frustration on their faces when they're facing down a bear. Only use Entangling roots when you need to switch forms, travel form out & heal up, then get back into bear to drive the other player crazy some more.
RAWR! Kitty Smash!
Learning how to use your shape-shifting abilities doubles your chances of taking down players. With stealth you have the upper hand over everyone on the field or in an arena game. You will never have to depend on anybody for assists. Concerning Cat form. There are 2 ways to play it, keeping your bleeds up slowly draining a player or Burst dps, taking huge chunks of a players health. As a rule of thumb Always keep in mind what you're up against & how best to deal with your situation at hand. Pvp gives you an experience not even Pve can give you. You will be constantly aware of everything around you. Alertness, Reaction, Timing all play a major factor. As a thumb of rule, you are insane DPS, You can out survive any other class & you're the most brilliant escape artist. Pick your fights wisely. Patience and timing is key to winning. Don't mindlessly run in and Zerg (Zerg- Term for rushing in hoping to plow everything in your way like a retard truck would. Also Taken from Starcraft. A race that mindlessly swarms over everything in their path devouring all life.) Remember Your class is a hybrid class, That means your the best at support. But druids are not just stuck to being support, They have all 4 game mechanics wrapped up into one class. Feral druids are ELITE!
Drool!
What Class are you really
Where do you stand as a Feral Druid player.
During a nerf patch.
The Video below is from a well known player Corslu, He proves that even during a patch, No other class is as versatile as the Druid. The art of playing feral druid to some players undergoing a nerf is more like a challenge to them & aren't undermined with given issues. Players like these Still know how to turn the tables around especially in the battlegrounds. As a pure Pvp'er, If you have honed your Skills that's all you need to be an elite player.
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Even During the Great Nerf!
Insider secrets & guide to Feral Pvp
- Tips On Being 1 Step Ahead In The Game
what to look out for if you're spec'ing as a feral druid for pvp